3/20 FUEL FIRST THEN PLAY

In preparation for our anticipated Tuesday departure, we took Quest to the fuel dock for our final Mexico fill up (we hope). The wind had started to blow a bit so it was a true test of Dan's skills at maneuvering the boat into the fuel dock with wind, current and multiple pangas and dingys going in and out of the narrow channel. After returning to our dock we rewarded ourselves for a successful fueling with no deaths, dismemberments or dents and headed for an afternoon at the beach. Windy but totally enjoyable. The water was so warm that even I had no problems jumping right in. Great steak dinner in tonight, May be hard to leave this lovey part of Mexico.

NEW FOUND EARLY PHOTOS

NEW FOUND EARLY PHOTOS

NEW FOUND EARLY PHOTOS

NEW FOUND EARLY PHOTOS

SUNSET AT SEA 3/16/10

MARINA CHAHUE AT HUATULCO

It's Saturday morning (3/20/10) and I am frantically attempting to recall the last few days of our fantastic journey. Please bear with me.

After departing Acapulco on Tuesday afternoon, we enjoyed great weather and a smooth all night passage before anchoring in Puerto Angel (15d39'NX96d29'W). This should have been a calm little anchorage but, due to a large "cat" that hogged the middle of the bay and tons of fishing pangas too, we anchored out and experienced a rough and rolly Wednesday night. However, our anchor did hold tight!!

Thursday we pulled up anchor as the panga fishermen were heading out for their morning of work. We finally wised up and started filling the bucket with the sea water to help us cool off during the heat of the day. Great idea, Dan! Only once did we have hits on the fishing poles and it came as Dan was napping. Both lines got hit at the same time and I brought my little mackerel in before we released him. That is my first for the trip!!

By 11:00 AM we were in beautiful Bahias de Huatulco and adjacent Bahia Chahue (15d45.25NX96d07.25W) where we are docked at Marina Chahue. This small marina is well run, clean and expanding to have a fuel dock in the near future. After checking into the marina we grabbed our official paperwork and headed to the Capitania to take care of that business. Silly us. We forgot we were on Mexican time and 1:30 was just a little too late unless you want them to work overtime. That gave us something to do on Friday!! We headed to the beach for lunch then back to the Quest for laundry and chores.

Thursday night we went into the lovely La Crucecita for dinner and a little exploration. La Crucecita was established as a service town for hotel employees and is charming, culturally rich and well stocked with banks, hardware, markets, restaurants, hospital and lovely fruiterias.
Friday found us, once again, at the Capitania and we were able to complete all our paperwork for our entrance into the state of Oaxaca and the preparation for our exiting from Mexico. Both immigration and customs officers came out to inspect the Quest and stamped our paperwork. The inspection proved to be nothing but possibly a verification that there was a Quest. We also found a taxi driver that helped us ferret out more of the correct engine oil for a back up supply for the next leg of our journey. For dinner we headed back into town and found el Pastor at a much more civilized shop than in PV (this had tables) and it was almost as good.

We are anticipating being here for a few more days as the Tehuantepec Bay is expecting one of it's infamous storms and this is the place to lay up. We plan to take the boat to the fuel dock in Huatulco Bay this AM so we will be ready when the opportunity arises to exit.

DICK ON THE STAND UP BOARD IN PAPANOA

PAPANOA TO ACAPULCO AND ON

Monday morning we cast off from our mooring (way too easy!) in Papanoa and glided through perfectly smooth waters to Acapulco. What a total ZOO the Acapulco Marina area is. We were going to dock at the Acapulco Yacht Club but, after making initial contact with them on the phone, we were unable to roust them for slip assignment so we ended up mooring outside their marina. No water hook ups or power but it turned out quite nice. We dropped the dingy down and rode to shore for a great dinner of pescado. I finally got my whole huachinango (red snapper) and we had yummy margaritas.

Due to our timely arrival in Acapulco and the "lousy" flight connections to Saint Maarten, Dick and Cheryl changed their outbound flight to mid-day Tuesday instead of the very early hours of Wednesday morning. We all got up and headed for a good Mexican breakfast then the Hansons took one of the "tight" VW Bug cabs to the airport and made their flight out. Dan and I ferreted out la officina de Capitania and presented all of our paperwork for checking into and out of Acapulco. That done, we did our marketing, loaded the dink, fueled up, got rid of trash and took on water. Our original plans were to anchor in nearby Puerto Marques but when we left the Acapulco Bay at around 2:30 we decided to spend the night traveling and advance ourselves as far south as possible due to a positive weather window for the weekend in the often treacherous Tehuantepec Bay. Weather is great now and we are enjoying this lovely cruise.

3/14/10 AS REPORTED BY HANSONS

PERFECT is the only word to describe our spectacular 9 day journey on the Quest - heading south along the pristine Mexican coast - miles and miles of untouched beaches with lovely mountains behind. Every day"s weather has been sunny and gorgeous. The sea has been calm and lovely (except one day when we were safely anchored in a marina). Dolphins seem to jump for joy as we cruise along and then leap in our wake to surf. I (Cheryl) just spotted my first whale as we come into Acapulco- usually it's Dan who sees everything from miles away. Sea turtles and jumping manta rays have entertained us along the way.

Last night we anchored at a cove (Papanoa) and took the dinghy to shore for the best local food - by far our most tasty meal off the Quest, including fish soup with oysters, shrimp, a lobster tail, a red snapper head and melt-in-your-mouth octopus. What a treat to enjoy a delicious meal among local families swimming and eating on a Sunday afternoon. Dan showed us his paddle board skills - looked so inviting that Dick decided to give it a try - very successfully. We were lulled to sleep by lapping waves and wakened during the night by birds fishing in the phosphorescent waters just outside our windows.

Today a leisurely trip over glass-smooth waters to Acapulco, final destination for this part-time crew. What a privilege to participate in this incredible Quest.

3/13/10 EXPLORING JIHUATANEJO

After a couple hours of "boat cleaning", we grabbed a taxi and headed to "Z Town" for late breakfast and exploring. Everything on the ride over was so clean and green and really quite beautiful. Unfortunately, we all forgot cameras. Just as we came into "Z Town" we saw a huge, old circus tent set up and ready for an evening performance. Quite the sight.

The shore area where we had breakfast was neat and tidy and offered a great view of the "Z" Bay. After breakfast we walked down the municipal pier and watched the hordes of local families purchasing water taxi tickets and jostling for seats in the numerous "taxis" that take them across the bay to the lovely beaches. It was a riot of activity!

We were on a quest for a fish fillet knife, plastic chopping board, lemon juicer, produce and hair clip today so headed into the shops in the old town area. Cheryl and I got slightly distracted and each bought lovely glass bead bracelets but were soon back on track. We found the produce in a small open market where we had to move to make room for the 2 pigs (head and all) that were being brought into the meat stall. We also found a "not so great" knife for filleting the fish Dan will be catching but no tray for him to use. We will keep on looking.

Mackerel chaviche (sp?) from yesterdays catch was our afternoon snack. Wow, was that good! Dick and Cheryl treated us to a great dinner at the Italian restaurant right here in the marina and, once again, we called it a night.

Tomorrow we will be starting the journey to Acapulco, spending one night at anchor in Papanoa and arriving there Monday evening.

3/12 THE "FISHER GODS"!

Blow Hole on Bufadero Bluff at Caleta de Campos

PANGA FISHERMEN AT LIZARDO BAY

3/12/10 MURUATA TO IXTAPA

This proved to be a totally interesting day. We saw morning fisherman in their pangas, marveled at the blow hole on Bufadero Bluff in Caleta de Campos, caught 5 fish (1 yellow fin tuna, 3 mackerel and 1 amber jack), had a smaller Mexican Naval boat cruising by, watched the huge container ships around the shipping mecca of Lazaro Cardenas (not such a pretty place) and, of course, were amused by the charming dolphin and majestic whales.



We pulled into Ixtapa around 6:30, tied up, ran to the Marina office for check in, got everything "ship shape", showered and then feasted on our freshly caught tuna for a marvelous dinner on board the Quest.

3/11/10 BARRA NAVIDAD TO MARUATA COVE

We pulled out of beautiful Marina Navidad by 7:00 AM, praying for good weather as it looked like we might get into some wind and waves. The weather "gods" were looking out for us and it was just beautiful all day. Dan and Dick caught us a Dorodo which we cooked on the BBQ for a fine meal. Maruata (18d15'22"X103d20'26") proved to be a very small anchorage but we held tight and enjoyed watching the activity of the village on shore and looking at the stars above as night fell.

3/10/2010 MARINA BARRA NAVIDAD

3/10/10 WEDNESDAY AT GRAND BAY HOTEL

This morning we hopped in a water taxi and scooted back into Barra for breakfast and a better look at the village. We found a great little place for huevos and stocked up on fruit and veggies.

After returning to Quest, Dan and Dick took the boat to the fuel dock and the Hansons generously "filled he up" for us. Thanks so much!! Cheryl and I wasted no time before heading for the beautiful pool at the Grand Bay Hotel which extends privileges to the Marina guests. The guys joined us after finishing their chore and a delightful afternoon was had by all.

We splurged and had dinner at Antonio's in the hotel. We sampled some great tequilas and had a super meal. Since we were the only patrons in this beautiful restaurant we had plenty of attention. They made a "true" Cesar salad right at our table and our fish dinners were prepared nicely.

We hope to be out of the marina early tomorrow morning and headed for Muruata, weather permitting. If the wind is still blowing we may only go to Manzanillo or Cabeza Negra.

3/9/2010 TUESDAY CHAMELIA TO BARRA NAVIDAD

I think this was the day with the most beautiful and diverse scenery so far. We saw isolated mansions perched on the cliffs, cultivated trees, fishing villages and huge, modern developments. We even had the best whale show as we entered the bay of Navidad.

The marina is stupendous!! It is partnered with the Grand Bay Hotel and we are able to take advantage of their wonderful amenities. Cheryl and I checked it our when we went to check into the marina office. Think we will be using the pool tomorrow.

We had another scrumptious dinner cooked on the BBQ tonight and then took a water taxi over to Barre for an evening stroll before calling it a night.

3/8/2010 MONDAY PVR TO CHAMELIA

Early to rise and to cast off for our next beautiful setting. We made it around the point with some wind and wave action but we all did fine. The whales and dolphin cooperated to welcome the Hansons and Dan even caught our first "real" fish. We anchored successfully in Chamelia, even after I didn't get the anchor alarm set right the first time. Dan and I took our first swim off the boat's swim step with Dick leading the way. The sunset was, once again, stunning. We had a great dinner of BBQ freshly caught fish, cabbage salad (with Alexis' dressing) and grilled squash.

3/7/10 SUNDAY LAST DAY IN PVR

Steven, Jeremy and Leticia got checked out of the condo and made their flight out of PVR to Newark. Dick and Cheryl Hanson arrived at about 9:00 PM. Their flights originated from Saint Marten and went through Miami and Dallas. Since they were traveling very light, we jumped on the local bus for the short ride to the marina. After a tour of our Quest, some light munchies and a cocktail, we turned in for the night.

We plan to be out by 7:00 AM tomorrow for the long trip around Cabo Corrientes (28 miles SW of PV) and on down to Bahia Chamela. Corrientes means currents and this point is where the winds and current "mix it up"!

It sure is great having the Hansons with us!!!

3/7/10 SUNDAY LAST DAY INN PVR

Steven, Jeremy and Letecia

Steven and jeremy "Taking it all in".

Steven with one of the better seats in th house

3/6/10 Las Animas, yet again

A real day off again!! We took of from Marina Vallarta around 10:30 and headed for lovely Las Animas under dreary skies. We were all ready for a respite from the intense sun and enjoyed the protection of the cloud cover. This time we did not anchor but moored in front of the Las Animas Beach Club and rode the water taxi to shore. Any of you that might find yourself on this delightful little beach, be sure to go to their facilities to the far right of the pier where they have white umbrellas and padded lounges. The staff is more than accommodating, the drinks great and the food tasty. They are making lots of changes (expanding the kitchen for one) ad may have a new name soon but I am sure the service will remain the same. Try it.

We were delighted to receive a call from Dick and Cheryl Hanson requesting "Permission to come aboard" here in PVR and to assist us in our journey to Acapulco. I had just emailed them this morning requesting their presence but, since they are vacationing in Saint Marten, had little hope that they would join us now. Thanks!!

2/5/210 FRIDAY WHAT'S WITH ALL THIS WORK??

We had planned to go out with the kids today and anchor for the night but I think they are just having too much fun at the resort. Can't blame them! We decided to go for the day tomorow instead and dedicate today to doing our "check out" with the Harbor Master for our early departure planned for Monday morning.
Dan was doing a quick check of the boat and found a leak in the hoses that connect the steering wheel to the hydraulic system. We had to remove them and take them to a little shop in Las Juntas where they put together the correct fitting and hoses. Back to Quest, installation and bleeding of the system and all is good. Bummer that we are having to do all of these little things but so thankful we are finding the problems here where everything is available.
We did have dinner with the kids at our little "street taco" stand and then collapsed for the night. No Cribbage tonight.

3/4/2010 Sail Boat Regatta

03/04/10 Thursday Roets on day cruise to La Cruz

Ray and Sharen (our long time Villa del Pal Mar friends) joined Dan, Steven, Jeremy, Leticia and me for an outing to La Cruz on the north end of the Bay of Banderas. We were much impressed with the 2 year old marina there. Lots of activity because the sail boat regatta is taking place and the president will be there on Saturday for the festivities. After docking for a couple of hours, walking around and enjoying the sights and having a wonderful lunch (thanks Ray and Sharen) in the village we pulled out of the marina and anchored so the guys could fish a little. Craig, I am just letting you know that they didn't do any better than you!!

On our ride back to Marina Villarta we were delighted to find ourselves among the racing yachts. See how beautiful they are in the photos. We were also entertained by at least 2 different whales before we got back. Wonderful day

2/3/10 WEDNESDAY FINISHING UP DULL TASKS

Polish and wax job was finished on Quest, found more of the correct chain for the anchor (needed for back up), had the broken dock-side stairs welded, fixed the ventalization for the freezer, hung the knife holder and , thus, completed our PVR "to do" list and are ready for our next leg of the journey.

3/2/10 Tuesday Maintenance

This was a long day of maintenance, again. Dan started out to do a simple job of changing fuel filters but it turned into an entire day of air filter removal, replacement of super charger screens and trips to 3 different auto parts stores to find the necessary gaskets and rebuild parts. It was a good thing that we found we had worn out parts here in PVR so we could find the replacements in the "boat rich" area. We also discovered that the engine room air inlets had been sealed in Portland as part of the winterizing of the boat. Now with the engine room air inlets opened, filters cleaned and new screens on the super chargers the Quest should be able to "breathe" a lot easier in the warm weather to come.

Polishing and waxing continued on the Quest and it should be done tomorrow. Looking good!!

After this intense day of work, we headed to Villa del Pal Mar for happy hour and sunset. We caught up with Jerry, our beach vendor amigo of many years, and made arrangements for him and his wife to join us on Sunday evening on the Quest for a sunset cruise.

PS: I almost skunked Dan in Cribbage. What a thrill.

3/1/2010 Monday Puerta Vallarta

Porters made it out of Mexico and onto their next vacation spot, Newport Beach, CA. Glad their trip was uneventful but we miss them.

Dan spent most of the day changing the oil in the engines and I was his "gofer". Also got a couple of guys polishing the exterior of our Quest. That's a job that really needed to be done and they are experts here.

The kids are now fully checked into the condo and enjoying the pool and all the amenities of resort life. Dan and I went over late in the afternoon and enjoyed "happy hour", the sunset and catching up with friends. I think Ray and Sharen will join us for an outing on Thursday.

SUNDAY 2/28/10 LAS ANIMAS (AGAIN)

This is the Porters last day and we all opted to head back to the beautiful beach at Las Animas. The stand-up paddle board was, once again, put to use and even a couple of guys on the beach asked to give it a try. The afternoon crossing back across the bay got quite rough and Leticia was really glad to get back to the marina!! After docking, the guys ran to the closest little cantina and watched the end of the Canada/US "race for the gold" ice hockey game. Too bad the ending didn't favor the US.

Dan and I took the Porters to Villa del Par Mar (our time share week begins today) where they will spend this, their final night. We all went to Brazil Steak House before we bid the Porters adios and a huge gracias for all their contributions to our trip so far. They now art Platinum for "frequent cruising" miles. We will miss you!!!!!!!

SAT; 2/27/10 KIDS HERE

Early morning calls today. Steven called as he, Jeremy and Leticia boarded at Bradley Airport in Hartford, Connecticut for their 6:30 AM flight to EWR then on to join us here in PVR. By the time they had reached EWR we were receiving calls from Erin in Hawaii, warning us about the awful earthquake in Chile and the tsunami warnings for both Mexico and Hawaii. We stayed on alert most of the day but the marina only experienced a small surge where the channel comes in from the bay. We were thankful not to have anymore than that. Our thoughts are with those in Chile.
Dan and I spent the morning locating, purchasing and toting back oil for our Detroit engines. We are now ready to do an oil change in the next couple of days.
The kids arrived here at the marina by 3:00 and we all went for a late lunch/early dinner here at the Marina and watched some of the Olympics. We had a house full with the Porters in the guest suite, Jeremy and Leticia in the "V" bunks and Steven on the couch in the salon.

2/26/2010 Touring coast and lunch at Las Animas

After Dan prepared a lovely breakfast of eggs, thawed out meat and Craig bought "pan" from the local bakery we set out for a leisurely day of cruising and beaching. We cruised all the way to Yelapa, passing by Mismaloya, Boca de Tomatlan, Las Animas and Quimixto before heading back to Las Animas to anchor for the afternoon. Dan got out his stand up board, Craig got a beach massage and we all enjoyed the beach lounges with our lunch. We fueled up as we came into the marina so we should be all set for ferrying the crew that arrives tomorrow.

Tonight's dinner was, finally, "street tacos" from our favorite little joint with el pastor and all the trimmings. I am sure we will return with Steven.
Good day all around!!

2/25/2010 Puerta Vallarta

Craig and Dan spent the morning washing the salt and sea remnants from our Quest then we set out, once again, for the Harbor Mater's office and got checked in. We next introduced the Porters to the Mexican local bus system and headed for breakfast at Freddy's El Toucan in Old Town. Great breakfasts and the best fresh OJ ever. Walked around for a bit and went by the "famous" PV church before heading back to the Marina.
Dan and I found a big marine supply store and got some needed supplies and replaced the fan in the kitchen. Nice!! We also got the shaft zincs changed by a diver today. Have been trying to get that done since we were in Long Beach.
Had one mishap this afternoon. The freezer kind of went on the blitz. When I went for ice, I found the tray a solid mass of ice and everything defrosted. I spent a couple of hours cooking up some of the thawed meats. I think the door was kind of "sprung" during travel. Hope it is working correctly now.
We had a lovely dinner on the "new" table in the salon. First time we set that up and it worked nicely. Set out to find flan for dessert here in the marina but really had no luck. Imagine that, no flan here in the many reataurants of the Mexican marina!!

2/23 and 2/24 Sea of Cortez and on to Puerto Vallarta

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, due to high winds and heavy seas coming from the North, we changed our direction and headed towards Puerto Vallarta instead of Mazatlan. It was a rough crossing but, with the help of all, we reached our goal. When I came on at 4:30 AM I found 3 little squid (dead) out port door and 1 little flying fish our our starboard door. They were washed up by the waves crashing upon the boat.
Our long journey saw us anchored off of La Cruz in the North end of the Bay of Banderas around midnight. The many lights were a welcoming sight. After a night's sleep, we decided to move on to the marina in Puerto Vallarta and call that home for the next week or so. We made contact with the marina via cell phone, were assigned to slip N 7, docked and secured the Quest before heading to the office to checking in with the marina. We then gathered our paperwork and attempted to check in with the Harbor Master but the seem to close around 2:00 PM. This will be our job for tomorrow morning. Glad to be here!!!

2/22/2010 Mondday Leaving Cabo San Lucas

Another beautiful morning. New bearings, new seal and impeller on the generator pump and we will be ready to go. after taking on fuel and checking out. Heading for the west coast of mainland Mexico with another over-nighter. We will be out of service again for a few days but will update when we can.

Amigo in Cabo

2/20/2010 Sunday in Cabo San Lucas

Beautiful, warm Sunday morning! By 7:30 AM we had hired two eager men to totally clean the exterior of our dirty Quest while the four of us set out to find breakfast in old town. We returned to a boat that was shiny and clean on the outside so had to spend some time doing justice to the inside. Looking good now!!
Dan had found a leak in the generator water pump and removed it so he can make a switch tomorrow.
After a wonderful dinner at Cabo's Ruth's Chris Steak House (OK, so this is totally not one of our usual Mexican haunts) we made a weather check and, once again, set down to discuss possible changes to our travel plans. Tomorrow we plan to leave from here after replacing the pump and fueling up and head directly across the Sea of Cortez to Mazatlan. We hope that all goes well and we can depart by 1:00 PM, travel all night and be on Mexico's weat coast Tuesday evening. Another "all nighter" but we all feel that this is the best plan of action.

Sol Mar

2/19/2010 and 2/20/2010 San Juanico South to Cabo

Mark this day!! Dan and Craig finally caught fish this morning!!!! They realease the little buggers and we set off from San Juanico toward Magdalena Bay, about a 10 hour trip. This is the last service or anchorage for motor yachts (MY) before the 20 hour ride to Cabo San Lucas.

The waves were rather high in the morning and were retreiving rolling objects, stowing anything loose and holding on tight. Just before noon we rechecked the weather maps and decided to skip Mag Bay and continue on to Cabo in order to stay ahead of possible stormy weather.
We devided up the night shifts with Alexis and I doing the earlier (7:00 to 10:00 PM) shift, followed by Craig then Dan. Craig ended up manning the helm all night. I joined him about 3:30 AM but he stayed on for anothe hour when I took back over. Dan, sleeping in the salon, was always near at hand and up when ever we needed assistance or a course change. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be but the spectacular sun rise was more than welcomed.

As we rounded Cabo Falso and approached our wonderful Sol Mar Hotel, we were taken aback by the scads of hotels, condos and homes that covered the hills and shore. Double wow!! We arrived at the congested marina, secured a slip, docked, did our check in and quickly made use of the marina's laundry. Sweet to have shore power and water even though we all were super conservative with the water and ended up with peanty.

2/18/2010 Abreojos to San Juanico

We awoke this morning to the sounds of the hurried departure of the beached pangas. All the guys were off to collect their lobster traps and bring back the goodies. We spent a couple of hours servicing the batteries and fuel filters. Since the filters were not overly, it appeares that we got good, clean diesel in Turtle Bay. Good news for us.

After our morning of work we took the dongy to shore to explore the town, find a late breakfast and get information about naturalist tours of the nearby whale sanctuary. After dropping Craig off at the beach, Dan returned for Alexis and me. As he was restarting the engine, he broke the starter rope and repairs had to made before we could join the patiently (maybe not) waiting Craig. Watching the pangas come ashore was so cool. There was a guy on a Ford tractor that lifted the front of the panga, two guys would then run an axel with two tires under the boat (Mexican boat trailer) and then the tractor would haul the panga up onto the beach to rest. He even hoisted our little Quest Too onto the sandy beach.

We found a tiny little restaurant where we all had machaca and egg, accompanied with fresh orange juice. How fresh was it, you ask? They had to run to the local mercado to purchase the oranges before they could make it. Needless to say, it was yummy! We found the local fish market and packing house where we bought fresh lobster for tonight's dinner. Not a single person knew anything about the whale watching so we bagged that and headed back to the dingy.

One of the facinating sights here was that of the many sea eagles and their huge nests that were perched on every available high point. Look at his beautiful, watchful eyes.

The dingy ride back to the Quest was a litter "wetter" than we expected and riding back through the breaking waves was definately an "E" ticket ride (for all you OLD Disneyland folks). We were drenched and laughing. Dan got his new, giant stand-up paddle board out and gave it a spin in the bay before be we loaded everything and pulled up anchor around 1:00 PM. We set out for San Juanico, about 66 miles south and just of of Punta Paquena.

We had our first sunset at sea and it was, of course, stunning. It was also our first time to travel after dark (except for Dan). We have seen almost no boats at sea but this evening we were bobbing and weaving through many commercial fishing boats. About 8:00 PM we anchored (26deg15'01"N X 112deg28'03"W) in the welcoming San Juanico Bay, fired up the new BBQ and cooked the lobster tails. A feast!!

2/17/2010 Turtla Bay to Puenta Abreojos

This was an early morning, pulling up anchor and setting our from Turtla Bay by 6:00 AM. Whales!! Whales!! Whales!!! We must have seen a gazillion whales today. At one time we couldn't keep up with counting all their spoutings. The dolphin are now frequent and welcome companions. We never tire of their company.

As we neared Punta Abreojos everyone had to help spot the many lobster trap bouys. We managed to avoid them and pulled into Punta Abreojos' lovely, wide bay around 4:30. We anchored at 26deg42'33"N X113deg34'06"N. The sandy beach was lined with dozens of pangas, home from their day of hauling in lobster traps.

2/16/2010 Cedros Island to Tutrtle Bay

Glorious morning!! We awoke to the rising sun, frolicking sea lions, shimmering jelly fish and mounds of bird dung all over the front deck. Thanks guys!! After cleaning off the deck and enjoying a breakfast of freshly made juices (yes, Char, we are using the juicer each day), we pulled up anchor and set for Turtle Bay. We had our first "whale sighting" shortly after 9:00 AM and continued to enjoy their company most of the day. How breath taking!! This is the first day that we have traveled with the salon doors opened and we are enjoyin the warmer weather.

We pulled into Turtle Bay around 2:00 and were charged by the "fuel salesman" in their panga boats. We chose to pull up to the floating platforam by the ancient dock and began pumping in 305 gallons of diesel. Thank you Porters!!! After fueling, we motored to our chosen anchorage spot (27deg41'NX114deg53'21W), droppen anchor, lowered the dingy and went ashore. Now the Mexican Boating Guide labels this little village as "coyote ugly" but the people were helpful and the lunch mighty tasty. We found a tiny pharmacia/internet cafe and blindly maneuvered our way into sending a quick email to family and friends to let them know we were still "OK". Our next stops down the dusty dirt streets were at 2 little mercados for fresh tortillas, fruits, veggies and Bimbo Bread. We only encountered friendly and helpful folks and found the poor but enchanting village a welcome stop.

2/15/2010 San Carlos to Cedros Island

We pulled up anchor and set out for Cedros island by 7:00 AM. Since we were crossing Bahia Vizcaino, there was a lot of time when we couldn't see land but it was a great day for sunning and enjoying the warm temperatures. During the 78 mile trip that brought us to our Cedros anchorage Dan taught us how to play Cribbage. Thanks Jackie and Ed for the supply of great games.

By 4:00 PM we had arrived at Cedros and found the"close" anchorage was extremely narrow. We set the anchor (29deg37'12"X115deg28'27") and the guys tried their hand at fishing (We had chicken and not fish for dinner.) Our evening cocktails were accompanied by the songs and antics of the Sea Lions that populated the narrow beaches around us. What entertainers!!

Around 10:00 PM, when the wind shifted, we decided to re-anchor in deeper water. It was rather scary in the total darkness. Thanks Greg for the spotlight. It was put to good use. Our new anchorage held tighght all night but Dan spent most of the night up in the salon to be close to the gages and controls in case a quick move was necessary. Think we kind of scared Alexis but she and Craig are real troopers and have really gotten into all of the boating activities. We appreciate their assistance and company.

2/14/2010 Cabo Colonet to San Carlos

We rose early this morning, pulled up anchor and were off by 6:00 AM with all hands on deck. It was quite foggy to begin with but turned out to be another gorgeous day. The aproximate 105 mile trip from Cabo Colonet to Fondeadero San Carlos (29deg35'NX115deg30'W) took about 11.5 hours, bringing us to anchor right at 5:30 and sunset. San Carlos was a big open bay. From the Quest we oserved the huge Mexican flag displayed in the middle of the small village, untouched by the development of electricity and cell phone coverage. Boy is it dark out there with only a sliver of a moon. This proved to be a great anchorage and we all got a good night's sleep.

2/13/2010 Ensenada to Cabo Colonet

This morning we were at the gas dock in Ensenada by 8:15 AM and cast off around 9:00. It was a beautiful day on the sea with whales, dolphin and Dan even saw a sea turtle swimming by. After traveling about 65 miles, we arrived at Cabo Colonet (30deg57.64'X116deg17.63W) around 4:40 PM. We anchored for the first time and toasted sunset at 5:25 PM. Since we had no shore power and relied only on 12 volt, we were all in bed early. We did delay long enough to view the spectacular display of stars in the night sky. Wow!!

The night ended up being a long one for Dan and me. Having anchored for the first time, I was nervous about drifting into the looming cliffs. Dan checked the status around 10:00 PM and drifted back asleep only to be roused by the Garmi anchor drift alarm around 1:15 AM. He scurried to the helm and monitored the situation from there for the rest of the night. You shold have seen him attemting to sleep on the helm bench with the captain's chair at the end for his feet. Even though we did some drifting, we made it through the night safe.

Mexico...

I quick update for everyone following. The QUEST, the Querreys, and the Porters are currently out of phone and internet service but should hopefully be reconnected to the world before the end of the week. Stay tuned, I'm sure they will have a lot of updates and pictures from their week off the grid.

2/11/2010 San Diego and 2/12/2010 Ensenada

This morning brought Robert's departure from San Diego, the Porter's arrival from Montreal and Steffi finally made it out of DC, headed to Germany to visit her family. YEA!!

With the addition of the Porter's rental car we were able to finish up all our last minute errands. We celebrated their arrival with dinner at Ruth's Chris. That is always a treat.

Thursday morning cast off about 7:00 AM and headed south. What a beautiful day! We arrived at Marina Coral in Ensenada around 1:30 PM, docked, checked in at the Marina office and headed for the Centro Integral de Servicios to check into our first Mexican Port of Entry. The people at Marina Coral were a great help and made sure that we had all the necessary documentation to help our clearing. We were also fortunate to have "Carlos Santana" (yes, that really is his name) as our fabulous taxi driver. He took us to the CIS, waited the hour it took us to clear, gave us a quick tour of the city, escorted us to a mercado and found us a great little "taco" joint. Thanks to all of you that helped welcome us into Mexico.

2/10/10 San Diego Harbor Island West Marina

Jan and Debi got off about 5:30 AM in a taxi headed to the train station. They were both grumbling about having to go "back to work". We will miss their company and assistance.

Porters flight was canceled due to the big snow storm. They took the Amtrak back to Albany, rented a car and drove to Montreal. They are spending the night there and taking an early flight to LAX, renting a car and driving to San Diego to join us. Now those are good friends!! Steffi is still stuck in DC and Robert is trying to get on a flight from here on Thursday. Steven's flights from Albany to LGA to Wilmington were canceled and put off until Saturday. This storm sure has put a halt to East Coast air travel.

Dan and I were able to purchase the necessary Mexican Fishing License for the Porters and us. Glad to get that out of the way. We did a lot of walking today and saw the US Coast Guard and Naval Police boats and helicopters out in force. Think they may have been involved in practice maneuvers. Lots of action anyway.

2/9/10 Dana Point to San Diego

The five of us cast off from Dana Point after a quick breakfast at the Proud Mary. All went smoothly, just like we knew what we were doing!! The skies clouded up and the waters got increasingly rougher as the day progressed. The sights we were blessed with made it all worth it though. We had dolphin skimming just beneath the surface at the bow of the boat for ages. It was breath taking to watch them. Robert got some great shots for you all. Dan stepped thing up a bit for the last hour in an attempt to out run the approaching rain but it caught up to us just as we reached the marina. Robert and I were like drowned rats.

Our weather was nothing compared to the East Coast. Steffi flew from Burlington to JFK then onto Washington where she is now stuck and unable to travel on to Germany for a day or two. Robert's 9:00 PM flight from Long Beach to JFK to BTV was cancelled too.

2/8/10 Long Beach to Dana Point

Had a wonderful cruise today with family and friends. Robert arrived at LGB from Vermont around noon and was picked up by Richard and Charlene, our saviors on numerous occasions. Jan and Debi took the train, metro and bus to Long Beach. Jay, Cheryl and Brian drove from Arcadia. Think we covered just about all modes of transportation!! After a great lunch provided by Debi and an all too brief visit with Brian, the Quest cast off around 2:00 PM with nine of us aboard.

Our journey was under clear skies and with smooth waters. Beautiful CA day! We were escorted by dolphin, saluted by whales in the distance and presented with an incredible sunset at the end of our day. Thank you "travel gods". The Colemans treated us to a tour of their wonderful Dana Point condo and cocktails before we all went out for dinner. Robert, Jan and Debi stayed on the Quest for the next leg of our adventure.

Here is Charles Parness watching over our Quest and the new (old) table we added to the salon!

Had a great Super Bowl Sunday at Debi and Richard Gubiotti's. Thanks.

After much stocking, repairing, fine tuning, rearranging, cleaning and tweaking we are finally ready to start our journey from Long Beach. Today I will return our rental car to the airport around noon, meet Robert and be picked up and transported to the Quest by Richard and Charlene. They will join us to Dana Point, as will Jay, Cheryl and Brian (hopefully) Coleman. Jan and Debi will go all the way to San Diego on Tuesday.

Long Beach 2/5

We had a great Friday!! Scott and Teresa Cuckovich drove in from Lake Havasu, Jay and Cheryl Coleman came from Arcadia and Mike drove in from Las Vegas. We talked up a storm, dined at the 555 Club in Long Beach and then said "good night" to all but Mike, who spent the night before heading back to Vegas around 8:00 AM. Great fun! Thanks to you all for making the long drive in the pouring rain.

We are still working hard at getting the boat ready for our travels. Friday we found a table and chairs for the salon. Saturday we finally obtained the necessary foreign nation flags that we will need at great store Nikki's Flag Shop, on Old Newport Blvd. Thanks for all your help! We also hauled out the ancient microwave/convection oven (which sounded like a bear in pain when we used it) and replaced it with a new one that Dan installed it this evening. (Yes, I am working him ragged.) On the fun side, he bought a demo, stand up paddle board from a shop in Seal Beach and should get the "monster" tomorrow. Of course he called Dwayne for advice and approval before agreeing to the purchase. Now he just needs some warm water to try it.

The Quest

Charlene at the helm

Family and friends

Survival gear

Vince and Pam in Long Beach

Long Beach 2/1-2/4

Boy, this relaxing year off to boat is a lot of work! So far this week, Dan has repaired the hydraulic steering, mounted the BBQ and gotten the propane tank filled (at Scott Cuckovich's old gas station), replaced the broken flag mount, painted the name (Quest Two) onto the dingy and taken her out for the first trial run, changed the generator oil, had the foam in the helm seat cushion replaced, installed a new radio antennae, and made other various repairs, adjustments and installations.

Richard and Charlene joined us on Wednesday and spent the night aboard the Quest. We had their daughters and family make the grand tour and dine with us picnic style on the floor. Thursday brought nephews Andrew and David with Megan and Grandpa Ed. We made a voyage to the fuel dock in San Pedro with everyone aboard. Charlene made a superb captain and it was a struggle to get her out of the helm (ha,ha!). We even got to have a bridge raised for our passage. That's really cool. Everyone departed in the afternoon and Jan and Debbie joined us for the night.

Thanks again to Vince and Pam Markese for assisting us in obtaining this great slip here at the Shore Line Marina in Long Beach. We enjoyed a great evening out visiting with them last night.

Long Beach

The QUEST has now arrived at Long Beach and is docked at the Shoreline Marina, thanks to arrangements made by Pam and Vince Markese. Charlene Hoffstadt and I met with Vince and Pam at the marina and watched Dan bring the Quest in. Nice show! Thanks captains Greg and Todd for seeing her safely from Astoria to Long Beach and hope your flight home was uneventful.
Richard Hoffstadt joined us after his meeting and the tours began. By the time Jan, Dan's sister, arrived with Jackie (Mom) and Ed (Dad) and friends Debbie and Richard we were ready to party Querrey style. It was great to visit with family and friends in our new home. Thanks Jackie and Ed for dinner and drinks!
Dan already has the leaking helm steering unit apart and the rebuild kit ordered to repair it. That should be here tomorrow and Dan will get it rebuilt and ready to go. We plan to be here all week, leaving Monday, 2/08/10.
Thank you Richard and Charlene for your hospitality while I waited for Dan to arrive. I enjoyed my stay and visiting with Kelly, Tracy and the "grand boys". I was also grateful to see my friend, Elaine, from high school. We had a lovely morning visiting over coffee. We are blessed with good friends and family.